by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

OAKLAND - The local Sunday sports page sat behind the local NBA star as he discussed his family's big day on Sunday, with a headline that was fitting in every way.

"Mom set Stephen Curry on winning path," it read.

Talk about a Mother's Day to remember for the Curry clan.

Before the Golden State Warriors guard battled through his left ankle injury to score 22 points in a Game 4, overtime win vs. the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals, he had leaned on his mother, Sonya, even harder than usual in the last few days. While his father, former NBA player Dell Curry, is the family expert on all things basketball-related, Mother knows best when it comes to matters of the mind and heart.

So Stephen used their late-night chats as much-needed therapy leading into this win, venting about his chronic ankle problems that forced him to take his third anti-inflammatory injection of the playoffs just to play. Sonya Curry couldn't be there to see how she had led him down the winning path again, because she hasn't yet discovered how to be in two places at once.

Stephen's younger brother and soon-to-be NBA player, Seth, was graduating from Duke University, and one celebration ultimately segued into another in a most memorable way as the family gathered to watch the game in Durham, N.C.

"She's kind of my voice of reason," he said. "I tried to vent my frustration, because it seems like every time you get on a roll and feel somewhat healthy, there's a setback. You change your routine, it changes your outlook on the game and your preparation, because you've got to deal with an injury and the adjustments you're going to make with the team going forward in the series. She just reminded me, 'Rely on my teammates for support and encouragement,' and that's what happened today."